About

Division of Education Mission StatementThe mission of the Division of Education follows the mission of the college to ensure that teacher education candidates “seek holistic development that leads to intellectual, ethical, spiritual, ad service oriented lives. This includes providing a liberal arts curriculum along with content mastery courses and teaching pedagogy that maximize the diversity and creativity essential to teacher education. Faculty professional involvement with candidates contributes to a learning environment that stimulates the life-long learning that undergirds teaching effectiveness. The Division manifests this concept by providing opportunities for candidates to develop the knowledge, skills and dispositions that they will need to work effectively with students in P-12 schools.

Division Diversity Statement:Candidates from all diverse backgrounds and perspectives will be well-served by this course. Candidates’ learning needs will be addressed both in and out of class, and the diversity that candidates bring to this class will be viewed as a resource, strength, and benefit. All content, materials and activities will be presented in a manner that is respectful of diversity: gender, sexual orientation, disability, age, socioeconomic status, ethnicity, race, culture, perspective, and other background characteristics.

Division of Education Field Experience and Clinical Practice Statement: Field Experience and Clinical practice is the beginning of a training experience that offers the Teacher Candidates a supervised environment in which to observe. New skills will develop, and the candidates will polish professional skills already acquired. Each Teacher Candidate will be assigned to a school or center for a school-site observation by the Director of Field Experience and Clinical Practice. The Alabama State Department of Education requires documented clock hours for field experience. Teacher Candidates are expected to be timely, dress professionally and behave and speak in a professional manner at all times.

ACCREDITATION The Division of Education at Miles College is accredited by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE), www.ncate.org. This accreditation covers initial teacher preparation programs at Miles College. However, the accreditation does not include individual education courses that the institution offers to P-12 educators for professional development, relicensure, or other purposes.

ED 201: Educational Testing
[Credit Hours:
3]
This course is designed to provide help in English, math, essay writing, and reading for those students preparing to take the required admissions tests for Teacher Education: the Alabama Prospective Teacher Testing Program, the English Proficiency Examination, the Praxis exams, and Senior Exit Examination.

ED 209: Introduction to Teaching
[Credit Hours:
3]
This course provides exposure to teaching-related activities in early childhood, elementary and secondary area school classrooms; it also provides laboratory orientation to the total program in teacher education. It is designed to provide an experimental basis for the student to select teaching as a career. Sixty (60) classroom observation hours are required for this course. Prerequisite Background check.

ED 300: Technology for Teachers
[Credit Hours:
3]
This course is designed to introduce candidates to knowledge and skills associated with integrating technology into teaching and learning. Candidates will be exposed to software applications including word processing, spreadsheets, databases, and multimedia presentations, as well as software and web sites related to various content areas. Candidates will be expected to use email and Internet applications throughout the course.

ED 302: Introduction to Curriculum
[Credit Hours:
3]
This course involves the analysis of curriculum philosophies and theories with special emphasis on new aspects and concepts of the curriculum, various approaches to curriculum planning, and teaching methods.

ED 306: Principles of Teaching
[Credit Hours:
3]
This course is designed to provide students with an overview of early childhood/elementary school curriculum, which includes all the experiences of children for which the school accepts responsibility. Emphasis is placed upon (1) the organization of the modern elementary school, (2) the institutional process, and guidance for the classroom teacher.

ED 319: Education of the Exceptional Child
[Credit Hours:
3]
This is a survey course designed to acquaint future teachers with methods of teaching children who have abilities both higher and lower than the ―average‖ pupil, for whom adjustments in the educational process must be provided. Stressed are etiology; methods of diagnosis and differentiation; the social, emotional, physical and learning characteristics of exceptional children; and a knowledge of educational programs for various fields of exceptionality, including mainstreaming. The concentration is focused on the educational significance of the exceptionalities, and on the ways in which classroom teachers can be guided to help exceptional children reach their optimum development.

ED 325: Home, School, and Community Relations
[Credit Hours:
3]
Students enrolled in this course will gain perspectives on parent-school-community relations by engaging in a series of seminars and field experiences throughout the semester. Students will gain exposure and receive background information regarding current state initiatives such as The Alabama Reading Initiative, Technology Block Grants, Operation New Birmingham, Better Basics / M.O.R.E. Program, and the Early Internet Network. As a part of this course, students will visit sites where qualified staff in the field of social services, education, and business work to promote qualified educational programs that support children and families in the greater Birmingham area.

ED 341: Visual and Performing Arts
[Credit Hours:
3]
This course is designed to acquaint students with (1) basic principles of art; such as design, color and form; and (2) the basic rudiments of music keyboard and flutophone experience. It provides insight into the creative process, promotes the development of creativity in the child; and emphasizes activities in singing, listening, and rhythm. I t also explores making and playing simple musical instruments and creative expressions for the children in early childhood and elementary grades.

ED 350: Foundations of Education
[Credit Hours:
3]
This course provides a broad background of information on educational trends, the profession of teaching , and current educational issues. It provides context for understanding educational practices. The course also helps students to consider society‘s influence on the American education system, especially the political, economic, and legal relationships between society and schools.

ED 400: Materials and Methods of Teaching Secondary Subjects
[Credit Hours:
2]
This is a laboratory course dealing with theories, methods of teaching the major subjects in grades 6-12 schools, critical evaluation, and selection of materials.

ED 401: Literacy and Social Development in Small Children
[Credit Hours:
3]
This course focuses on building students‘ understanding of many unique approaches to supporting literacy development in programs for young children. Students will use technological resources to review current educational software for children and do research in the fields of literacy development and current internet technology. Case studies in which students are involved throughout the semester will be used to support the Miles College Division of Education partnership with schools in the local systems.

ED 405: Teaching Elementary Language Arts/Lit.
[Credit Hours:
3]
This course consists of procedures involved in the development of listening, speaking, and writing skills of children. Emphasis is placed on teaching the effective use of language in oral and written communication. Students analyze of materials and criteria guides for selecting appropriate materials for early childhood/elementary students. The course emphasizes creative use of language in connection with art, music, children‘s literature and other curricular areas.
Prerequisite: ED 306

ED 406: Teaching Elementary Science
[Credit Hours:
3]
This course stresses adapting the science program, material and equipment to the ability and interests of children. It also stresses the critical evaluation and selection of the most effective materials and instructional methods.
Prerequisite: ED 306

ED 407: Teaching Elementary Mathematics
[Credit Hours:
3]
This course involves the use of discovery and problem-solving approaches as a means of developing mathematical understanding in early childhood/elementary school children. The metric system is also introduced in this course.
Prerequisite: ED 306

ED 408: Teaching Elementary Social Studies
[Credit Hours:
3]
This course consists of objectives, content, and procedures for teaching the relationship between man and his environment. Emphasis is placed on problem-solving skills and independent investigation. Contents of early childhood/elementary school social studies are drawn from the social and behavioral sciences.
Prerequisite: ED 306

ED 409: Teaching Beginning Reading and Phonics
[Credit Hours:
3]
This course consists of various approaches to teaching beginning reading, including the language experience and phonics techniques; reading readiness activities; word-attack skills, the use of context clues, and individual reading programs to serve special individual and group needs.

ED 412: Teaching Reading in Secondary Content Areas
[Credit Hours:
3]
In this course, emphasis is placed upon teaching vocabulary, comprehension, and study skills in the content fields in grades six through twelve. The course includes materials and methods of teaching reading through science, English, social science, and mathematics.

ED 413: Diagnostic-Prescriptive Teaching of Reading
[Credit Hours:
3]
This course involves the study of the common causes of reading disabilities, procedures for diagnosis, and basic remediation techniques. Both individual and group testing and treatment programs are covered in this course. Guided practice in applying principles in designing and conducting tests and teaching strategies are also covered, and case studies are required.
Prerequisite: ED 409

ED 420: Materials and Methods of Teaching Sec. Mathematics
[Credit Hours:
1]
This course is designed to acquaint secondary teacher education candidates with theories, methods of teaching in grade 6-12, and critical evaluation and selection of materials specific to mathematics while working with a "highly qualified teacher."
Co-requisite: Must be taken concurrently with ED 400

ED 421: Materials and Methods of Teaching Sec. Science
[Credit Hours:
1]
This course is designed to acquaint secondary teacher education candidates with theories, methods of teaching in grades 6-12; and critical evaluation and selection of materials specific to science while working with a "highly qualified teacher."
Co-requisite: Must be taken concurrently with ED 400

ED 423: Materials and Methods of Teaching Sec. Social Studies
[Credit Hours:
1]
This course is designed to acquaint secondary teacher education candidates with theories, methods of teaching in grades 6-12, and critical evaluation and selection of materials specific to social studies while working with a "highly qualified teacher."
Co-requisite: Must be taken concurrently with ED 400

ED 424: Materials and Methods of Teaching Sec. Eng/Lang Arts
[Credit Hours:
1]
This course is designed to acquaint secondary teacher education candidates with theories, methods of teaching in grades 6-12, and critical evaluation and selection of materials specific to Language Arts while working with a "highly qualified teacher."
Co-requisite: Must be taken concurrently with ED 400

ED 440: Field Studies in Early Childhood Education
[Credit Hours:
3]
This course is designed to afford students an opportunity to observe and evaluate a number of programs for young children in corporate, private, community and church-housed programs. Students will gain experience in evaluating programs using the guidelines established by the national accreditation organization for early childhood programs. Sixty (60) classroom observation hours are required for this course.

ED 445: Evaluations and Measurements in Education
[Credit Hours:
3]
The evaluation of teaching and learning includes the developing appropriate skills for designing the evaluation process; using measurement procedures to collect necessary data; and employing the appropriate statistical procedures to interpret the resulting information. The student should learn to use this information in making judgments or evaluations about effective teaching styles and learner outcomes. Specifically, the course helps candidates develop those skills which early childhood/elementary and secondary teachers need to engage in formative and summative evaluation to improve learning and instruction.
Prerequisite: TEP

ED 448: Classroom Management
[Credit Hours:
3]
This course is designed to provide in-depth skill development in organizing the classroom for instruction. It will include suggested ways to work with early childhood/elementary and secondary students to create learning environments and to develop effective classroom instructional practices.

ED 449: Senior Seminar
[Credit Hours:
1]
This course is required for all Education majors in the last semester of their senior year. It is designed to explore and analyze current issues, job market data, the student‘s personal strengths and weaknesses, and effective teaching styles and skills.
Co-requisite: Must be taken concurrently with ED 450

ED 450: Observation and Teaching
[Credit Hours:
12]
This course is required for Early Childhood, Elementary Education and Secondary Education majors during their senior year. It is the culmination of various courses and activities in education in which applications of sound principles of psychology and education are expected.
The student participates for the entire semester in a classroom teaching-learning environment. These experiences consist of (1) directed observation of teaching; (2) teaching under observation; (3) conferences with supervising teachers and principals; (4) planning lessons; (5) creating units; (6) diagnosing difficulties; (7) making monthly reports; (8) assisting with extracurricular activities; (9) working with community agencies; and (10) discussing and examining timely problems and issues in education.
Co-requisite: Must be taken concurrently with ED 449

Miles College

More About Miles

Miles College, founded in 1898, is a premier liberal arts institution located in metropolitan Birmingham within the corporate limits of the City of Fairfield. The noble founders of the institution saw educated leadership as the paramount need in the black community... read more